She leaned down to hug him. "Thank you." When she stood tall again, she pressed her palm against his cheek. "You've given up a lot to help your dad and I. I wanted you to know how much we appreciate it."
Adam shook his head. "I didn’t give anything up. I made a choice, Mum. I enjoy teaching."
Her gaze was sad. "Perhaps, but we all know you enjoy dancing more."
"I haven't stopped dancing."
"You know what I mean. Your dad and I... we both had our time on the stage. And you... you belong there too. But instead you're here, helping us."
He laid his hand over hers and squeezed it reassuringly. "I want to be here."
The sadness in her eyes didn't dissipate. For all that she hadn't given birth to him, Deborah was his mum. Always had been.
"I need to get back to writing down ideas. Thanks for the food." He grinned up at her. "I'll make peace with Luc, if it'll make you happy."
She smiled. "It will. Thank you, Adam."
Her hand slipped away from him and she wandered out of the room, leaving him alone with his angry thoughts and a sheet full of ideas that he had to convince his dad were worth implementing.
***
Adam and his parents got back from the dance school at about half past nine that evening, to find Luc on the sofa, channel surfing whilst tapping away on his laptop. Every other night since Luc had turned up, Adam had retreated straight upstairs to take a shower and head to bed, but their mum's words rang in his ears and he felt fidgety, like he needed to get out and let loose for a while.
He cleared his throat to attract Luc's attention. "Do you... want to head out to a club or something?"
Luc stared at him with wide eyes and an open mouth, almost causing Adam to backtrack on his offer.
"That's a lovely idea," Deborah said, smiling.
"Err... sure," Luc said. He glanced down at himself. "Let me go throw something nicer on."
"Take your time. I need to shower." Not that he'd done any real dancing himself, but it would still make him feel fresher. "Be ready in half an hour?"
He barely waited for Luc to nod in agreement, before heading out the door and jogging up the steps.
He'd probably made a huge mistake inviting Luc out, but at least in a club they wouldn't have to talk to each other. In fact, talking would be hard given the volume of the music. He was envisaging that they'd maybe sit at the bar for a drink and then separate on the dance floor to find their own partners to dance with. They'd probably head home together at the end of the night, unless one—or both of them—was lucky enough to find someone worth going home with. He wouldn't exactly be hanging out with Luc, but he would be keeping their mum happy.
He took his time showering and getting changed into a slim fitting shirt and a pair of black jeans. He squeezed gel onto his hands, rubbed them together and then ran them through his hair to give it some texture. It had a tendency to stick up all over the place, like he'd just gotten out of bed, but he was fairly happy with its chaotic appearance.
Luc was waiting for him when he got downstairs. He wasn’t dressed much differently: he was still wearing black jeans and a shirt with the top couple of buttons open, except instead of being white, the shirt was royal blue. His hair was as perfect as ever, unmoving thanks to the ridiculous amount of styling product he presumably used.
"I thought we'd get the bus," Adam said. "Unless you'd rather take a taxi?"
"The bus is fine."
They both grabbed their jackets and then wandered along to the bus stop, uncomfortable silence hovering between them. Even if Adam had known what to say, he didn't particularly want to talk to Luc.
"Which club were you thinking of heading to?" Luc asked, as they stood at the bus stop.
The electronic signboard told them they only had five minutes to wait; thank God.
"The Vibe?"
Luc scrunched his nose up. "That was always a bit of a dive."
"It got taken over a couple of years ago and done up. It's a lot better now. But we could go to Magenta instead." Adam wasn't sure why he was bothering to be so accommodating. What did Luc know about the nightclubs in town? It wasn't like he'd been to any of them in at least four years.
"If you say the Vibe is a good place to go, I trust you," Luc said, though he didn't look at Adam as he spoke.
They lapsed into silence as they waited for the bus. It was pretty much empty when they got on. Adam sat down first, taking a seat by the window. Luc sat opposite him, on the other side of the aisle. Adam wasn't sure if he should be offended, or relieved. He decided to be relieved. The distance between them meant that they didn't have to speak. Instead, he looked out of the window, watching the houses pass by as the bus wound its way to the city centre.
It took them to the bus station, which meant they had about a ten-minute walk to get to The Vibe. Once again, they barely spoke. Luc stuffed his hands in his coat pockets and walked half a pace behind Adam the whole way. There was no reason for him to do that. Luc had been to The Vibe before, so he knew where it was; he didn't need Adam to act as a guide. Calling Luc on his weirdness would only lead to a confrontation, so Adam bit his tongue and enjoyed the silence.
The Vibe was fairly busy when they got there; for the middle of the week, anyway. There were bouncers on the door, but they didn't have to queue up and neither of them were asked for ID. Adam smiled as they were allowed through without incident, remembering how Mason had always been checked whenever they'd gone out. Adam had joked that it was due to the combination of his blonde hair and baby blue eyes which made him look so young and angelic. His smile faded. He missed Mason. Not being with Mason in a physical or romantic sense, but he missed having his friend around.
The dance floor was full of guys hanging off each other, leaving the bar area relatively clear. After dropping their jackets off in the cloakroom, they headed to the bar.
"What are you drinking?" Luc asked, raising his voice to compete with the loud thrum of the trance music. He made a drinking motion with his hand.
"Lager. Whatever's on tap."
Adam allowed his gaze to rove over the dancers whilst Luc spoke to the barman. There were plenty of attractive men to satisfy all tastes.
"Here you go," Luc said, thrusting a pint glass into Adam's hand.
"Thanks." He sipped at the lager and then licked the froth off his upper lip. "Do you go out much?" It was a dumb thing to ask, but they probably couldn't get away with staying silent any longer.
"Once or twice a week, maybe."
"Got a boyfriend?" Adam didn't know why he'd asked that; it's not like he cared about the answer.
Luc shook his head. "I'm too busy with work. You?"
"Nope." He hadn't managed to find anyone he felt serious about since Mason had left. That didn't mean he'd stayed single, either, just that none of his relationships had lasted. Not that he was about to explain any of that to Luc. He took a gulp of his lager and let out a small sigh. "You enjoy your job?"
"Yeah," Luc said, his voice sounding excited for the first time that evening. "I'm doing marketing for an independent clothing label. It's a lot of fun. Hard work, because my boss has high expectations, but still fun." He tilted his head and gazed at Adam. "What about you? Do you enjoy teaching?"
Adam frowned. "Of course."
"But you wanted to dance. I always thought you'd be in a company by now. I remember Dad saying you had enough talent to become a lead dancer if you worked hard enough."
Adam downed the rest of his pint, ignoring the gassy feeling from drinking it too quickly. "I like teaching." He put the pint glass down on the bar hard enough for it to reverberate through his hand. "I'm going to dance."
"Adam—"
Adam ignored Luc and shoved his way through to the centre of the dance floor. He didn't need Luc rubbing salt in his wounds and he wasn't going to stand there and let his stepbrother tell him what he should have done with his life. What the fuck did Luc know about any of it? He'd given up on dancing, given up on their frien
dship, and given up on their family. Luc could go to hell.
Chapter Seven
Luc
Luc hated that Adam had found himself a guy to dance with so quickly. He hated the speed with which the tall, long haired man placed his hands on Adam's hips and manoeuvred closer, so they were grinding against each other. But at the same time, he was captivated by the grace with which Adam moved. Even swaying his hips, his body moved smoothly and sexily. He wished he was the long-haired guy, so he could be the one gyrating against his stepbrother.
"If you like him, go ask him to dance," the bartender said from behind him. "You haven't taken your eyes off him in half an hour."
If only it were so simple. Why? Why did he have to have such an insatiable desire for a guy he knew he could never have?
He gritted his teeth when the long-haired guy leaned forward and whispered something into Adam's ear, causing him to smile. Then his fingers tangled in Adam's and he began to lead him away towards the back of the club, where Luc knew there was a darkroom. At least, there had been the last time he'd been to the club several years earlier; he'd even used it once or twice. Even though the superficial decor of the club was nicer, he doubted that the darkroom had been closed off. White hot flames of jealousy coursed through his veins. It was ridiculous. He had no say over what Adam did, or with whom. He couldn't even put his emotions down to brotherly concern. No, he was jealous because he wanted to be the one with his mouth wrapped around Adam's cock, not some stranger.
He ordered another drink, staring at the door to the darkroom as men came and went. He glanced at his watch occasionally, convinced hours had dragged by, only to find each time that only a handful of minutes had trudged past. Where the fuck was Adam?
When Adam did finally reappear, he was alone and his face was flushed. He made his way back over to the bar.
"I need a drink," he said, before ordering a pint of tap water. He sat on the stool beside Luc. "Not dancing?"
"I don't feel like it," Luc growled.
Adam gulped down half the water before replying. "Why did you come out, then?"
Why had he gone out with Adam? It had been a dumb mistake. He couldn't be around Adam. Aside from the fact that Adam could barely be civil to him, every time he looked at his stepbrother desire burned deep inside him.
"I thought it would be fun to hang out with you," he lied. "I was wrong." Luc gestured towards the darkroom door. "I didn't expect you to fuck off for half the night."
Adam narrowed his eyes. "What's your problem?"
"What's my problem?" Luc stabbed his finger against his chest. "I guess you only asked me out tonight to score Brownie points with Mum and Dad. That's low, Adam, really fucking low."
"Fuck you," Adam hissed.
Yes please. All night long.
Adam stood up so fast his barstool wobbled dangerously. "You're a big boy, Luc. What did you think? That we'd hold hands all fucking night and act like we were best friends again?"
Luc wasn't sure what to say to that, so he kept his mouth shut. Adam was right, their friendship couldn't be rekindled after one lousy night out.
"I came out tonight to relax and have a bit of fun," Adam growled. "I thought you might want to do the same, rather than being cooped up in the house all the time. I guess I was wrong." He began to stride away.
Luc made a grab for his arm. God, his stepbrother had strong muscles, which tensed in response to Luc's touch.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"Home. Because getting grief from you sure as hell isn't any fun." Adam wrenched his arm away from Luc. "You lost the right to tell me what I could and couldn't do when you were fourteen and decided you couldn't be bothered with me anymore."
Luc watched him go. He wanted to stop Adam so he could explain everything, but thankfully his head overruled his heart and he let Adam go. They both needed some time to cool off. Luc needed a stiff drink. Several stiff drinks, for preference. Maybe cruising the darkroom would help, too. If he had a good orgasm, it might just blow his feelings for Adam out of his system. He twisted on his stool, so he was facing the bartender.
"Tequila shots, please," he said. "Line them up."
***
Luc regretted the tequila in the morning. After sending a quick email to Adrianna to tell her he was sick, he spent the rest of the morning in bed, with his pillow over his eyes. Everything hurt, especially his head. He had a vague memory of throwing up on the street, whilst stumbling to find a taxi. He wasn't even sure how he'd made it home and up the stairs to his room, but somehow, he had, because that's where he'd woken up. He'd even managed to strip himself down to his boxer shorts.
It was past lunchtime before he felt able to get out of bed, brush his teeth and take a shower. He wished he had a pair of sunglasses to wear, because daylight was making his eyes burn. A quick glance in the mirror told him that he looked like shit. He had dark bags under his eyes and his skin had a sickly green pallor to it. He trudged down the stairs to make himself some toast. His stomach was both rumbling and queasy, which was not a fun combination.
Adam was sat at the kitchen table, scribbling in a notebook. He glanced up, his expression neutral. Luc had half expected his stepbrother to lash out with some kind of sarcastic remark, or at least to have an amused expression on his face. He couldn't be sure, but it was possible he even saw sympathy in Adam’s dark eyes.
"How are you feeling?" Adam asked.
"Rough." Luc's voice was unexpectedly gruff as he grated the word out. He tried to clear his throat. "Drank too much last night." It hadn't helped make his words sound any clearer.
"I know." Adam tapped his pen back and forth on his pad.
Luc frowned at him, before stooping to grab the bread out of the cupboard.
"I waited up for you, to apologise for being an idiot. When you staggered home, you were in no fit state to do anything, let alone argue with me again, so I helped you upstairs."
Luc froze halfway through taking a couple of slices of bread out of the plastic wrapper. "You... put me to bed?"
"Yeah."
Oh, God. Luc turned his back on Adam, hoping his stepbrother hadn't seen the red heat that flushed his face. Fuck. Adam had not only dragged his sorry ass up the stairs, but he'd undressed him? Fuck. He was torn between regret that he couldn't remember that happening—because the thought of Adam's hands undressing him was a huge turn-on—and being mad at Adam for doing something so intimate. But Adam probably hadn't given it a second thought.
"Thank you," he managed to mumble, before stuffing the slices of bread in the toaster.
"So, err... I was going to apologise."
"No need." Luc hunched his shoulders. All he could think about was Adam taking his clothes off.
"Yes, there is. You were right. I shouldn't have dumped you like that. I was pissed off, but it was still a crap thing to do. So, I'm sorry."
Why did Adam's voice have to sound so velvety and sincere? Luc wanted to accept his apology, all right, with a kiss. Or by ripping his stepbrother's clothes off to pay him back for undressing him.
"Where are Mum and Dad?" he asked, his voice coming out in an odd squeak.
"Shopping."
Knowing they were alone made things worse. The toast popped, almost making him jump. He grabbed one of the slices and began to chew on it.
"Don't you want butter or something?" Adam asked. "There's honey and peanut butter. There might even be some Marmite or Nutella somewhere."
"I don't think my stomach could take anything with actual taste right now," Luc said, grimacing as the dry toast stuck to the back of his throat. "Not even Marmite."
"I'm surprised your stomach can ever take Marmite," Adam said. "Revolting stuff."
"You just have no taste."
"No, you're the one with no taste. Or at least, no taste buds if you can stand that crap."
They both laughed. It felt so good to be sharing a light conversation with Adam. For half a second, Luc actually dared to hope that they might b
e starting to put the past behind them. But even if they were, it didn't change the fact that he still kept getting turned on by his stepbrother. He had no clue what to do about it, except to carry around a bucket of ice cold water to chuck over himself every time his thoughts became inappropriate.
They both fell silent. Adam went back to writing on his pad and Luc crunched his toast, eating it slowly in case it made him want to puke again.
"I'm sorry, too," he said, once he'd finished the first slice. "I shouldn't have suggested that teaching wasn't good enough for you." Although it was what he believed; Adam was definitely wasting his talent.
Adam shrugged.
"What are you working on?"
"Ideas for toddler classes, like you suggested."
Luc allowed himself to smile. "How's it going?"
"Good, I think. I'm basing lessons around fairy tales and kids' stories. The idea is to teach some simple steps and gestures, but to mostly encourage the kids to come up with movements for characters themselves. That way, they're exploring how their bodies move and how to put across character." He pursed his lips. "I'm not sure Dad will like it."
"He probably won’t," Luc said. "Dad needs to warm up to the concept of offering lessons to kids under six, but don't take that as a reflection on your ideas."
Adam flicked the notepad shut. "I'll run my ideas past him when he gets back. I'm going to go downstairs and dance for a bit."
Luc couldn't put into coherent thoughts how much he wanted to follow Adam down to the cellar and watch him dance. It would be a terrible idea. He had clear memories of seeing Adam dance and the strong, fluid beauty of his body. Just thinking about it made desire shiver up and down his spine deliciously. The cellar wasn't a big enough space to hide his want for Adam. It had been turned into a studio when they'd both been dancing. He had quit when the bullying had started at school, whereas Adam had toughed it out. When they were younger, Adam had always been the braver of the two of them. He'd faced things head-on, whereas Luc had run away.
"I should go do some work," he said.
A Dance For Two Page 4
